A radical approach to arts giving
DanceChance offers choreographers the opportunity to win $4,500 via random draw. It’s part of a movement to democratize arts funding.
As an independent journalist, applying to grants feel necessary for survival, even though the process is draining and often discouraging. In talking to artists over the years, I've heard much of the same.
But what if there were another way?
The pandemic cast a harsh light on the exploitative nature of the arts ecosystem, including arts and culture philanthropy. In recent years, artists have pushed philanthropists to consider alternatives to traditional grantmaking, which often involves a lengthy application and obscure selection process, to move money more quickly to the people who need it most.
Earlier this year, I came across an Instagram post about a lottery-based grant in Chicago called DanceChance. Organized by the Chicago Dancemakers Forum, the bi-monthly gathering is both a showcase of local choreographers and an opportunity for anyone in the audience to enter a drawing for $4,500 to fund their work and present at the next event.
On a warm evening in May, I took the Blue Line to the third installment of DanceChance this year at the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. Entering the space felt like stumbling into a fluorescent-lit party. I was warmly greeted by the event organizers and encouraged to enter the drawing, which meant filling out a slip of paper with my contact info and dropping it into a small, clear box before performances from previous winners began.
Chicago Dancemakers Forum executive director, Joanna Furnans, kicked off the event with an overview.
DanceChance has a 15-year legacy, created by DanceWorks Chicago and conceptualized as an open-mic night for dance, where artists were chosen at random to show and discuss their work in an informal setting. Near the end of 2022, DanceWorks passed the torch to Chicago Dancemakers Forum, an organization that has supported local dance artists for 20 years.
As new custodians of the program, Chicago Dancemakers took the opportunity to redesign it.
The revamped DanceChance launched with a few key changes including offering selected artists a $100 honorarium, providing video documentation of the performance to choreographers, and moving throughout the city to different locations to attract new artists.
But Joanna, who is also a dance artist, knew that DanceChance choreographers needed much more monetary support. “Any lead artist wants to pay their collaborators a fair wage, they just never have the funds to be able to do it,” she told me later by phone. “We as a dance service organization, or even as a sector, can’t continue to talk about pay equity without showing up with the funds to allow people to be able to exercise it.”
In 2023, Joanna applied for additional funding and with support from the City of Chicago’s DCASE and the National Endowment for the Arts, DanceChance increased its artist honorarium from $100 to $4,500.
The fully-funded DanceChance launched in January. After being selected through the lottery draw, artists receive $3,500 and six weeks to create up to 10 minutes of a dance work-in-progress to share at the next DanceChance event. They receive the remaining $1,000 after the performance as seed money to continue their work.
According to participant survey data, choreographers have used these funds for musical composition, rehearsal space, costumes, transportation, taxes, and saving for the future. “Most of the funds have gone to dancers, who have been paid $15 to 33 an hour for rehearsals and an average of $100 for the DanceChance performance,” wrote Shawn Lent, programs and communication director for Chicago Dancemakers, in an email.
To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of DanceChance is that anyone can win $4,500 — it doesn’t matter if you’ve been choreographing for six months or 60 years. There are no judging panels who decide which artists are “good enough.” Because so many funding opportunities rely on this idea of merit — outside markers, previous accolades, along with the subjective nature of worthiness — this model feels really novel.
I asked Joanna if she received any pushback for the concept.
“What’s the worst that’s going to happen,” she said. “People in need show up and get the money. Ideally, these are artists. I just trust artists, that’s the bottom line. You have something you want to explore. You’re calling yourself a dancer or dance maker. Great, go for it. See what happens. I don’t want to be in the business of allocating resources all to people who are ‘the best.’ I want to be in the business of supporting with resources an ecosystem, a culture of people who are creative — period.”
“I can’t guarantee the resources that get handed out are always going to create some sort of best-in-show performance,” she continued. “That’s not the negotiation we’re working with here. It’s really like how are we fueling an entire society or culture that values the creative process?”
Read the full story:
Makeda Easter
Some personal news
Speaking of grants, I'm excited to share that I've been awarded an artist grant from the City of Chicago's DCASE. After a string of rejections earlier this year, receiving some positive news on the money-front has been really energizing.
I'll be using the funds — $6,000 — to continue work on the Artist Pay Project. I plan to publish a new set of Artist $napshots centering Chicago artists, and begin working with artists in the city to develop an installation. If you're a Chicago artist, or know of any Chicago artists who might be interested in sharing their money stories, please reply let me know!
Linky links
- I'm still shocked by the horrific news that Florida Governor DeSantis cut all of the state's art and culture funding
- Socially engaged artists share insights on their work and process in this digital publication by A Blade of Grass
- Are you a Chicago dance artist in search of funding? The next DanceChance is scheduled for September 9 in at Loyola Park.
- Art.coop, the Social Justice Initiative at UIC, Haymarket Books, and Artists for Radical Imagination are hosting a series of online workshops this month focused on the intersection of the arts, economic and climate justice, and abolition. Register here.
I hope you're all having a wonderful summer full of sun and rest. Thank you for supporting the art rebellion.
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See y’all next time. 🌞